The British History Podcast
The BHP is a chronological retelling of the history of Britain with a particular focus upon the lives of the people. You won’t find a dry recounting of dates and battles here, but instead you’ll learn about who these people were and how their desires, fears, and flaws shaped the scope of this island at the edge of the world. And some of those desires are downright scandalous.
462 – Defenestration Nation
461 – Destabilizing a Nation: A How-To Guide
460 – The White Tower
459 – Lashing Out
458 – Henry’s Story
457 – The Bachelor King
Medieval Magic Sample: Shout at the Devil
456 – Law and Order: Durham
Medieval Magic Sample: We Read the Latin
455 – Odo’s Rebellion: Lord of the Flies
454 – Odo’s Rebellion: Worst Easter Ever
453 – Odo’s Rebellion: The Cold War
Medieval Medicine Sample: Trotula Edition
452 – Odo? Oh Yes.
451 – The Lucky Few
450 – Begin With A Bang
449 – Chapter Ten: The Boys
448 – The Death of William the Conqueror
447 – The End of the Conquest
446 – Death and Taxes
445 – Feeding Frenzy
444 – Holy Beef
443 – We’re Bigger Than Jesus
442 – Mynydd Carn
441 – God Bothering
440 – This is Fine
439 – Juggling Responsibilities
438 – Robert’s Rebellion
437 – Everyone’s Pissed
436 – Taking the Piss
435 – Trials and Tribulations
434 – The Boys
433 – North Wales: I Love Mess
Bonus Episode on Courtliness
432 – The Revolt of the Earls
431 – The Gang Has A Wedding
430 – Is It Good To Be King?
429 – Power Brokers and Power Breakers
428 – Tightening the Grip
427 – Hereward: Back Into the Mist
426 – Everyone Has Their Limits
425 – Hereward: The Fall of Ely
424 – Hereward: ft. Judas Priest
423 – Hereward: The Lion, The Witch, and the War Hero
422 – Hereward: The Man, the Myth, The Legend
421 – The Wake at Ely
420 – The Wake and the Earl
419 – The Wake at Peterborough
418 – God’s Chosen
417 – The (far more than four) Horsemen
New Member’s Episode on the Wild Hunt
416 – The Harrying of the North
415 – Cry Me a River
414 – The Uprising
413 – The D
412 – The B Word
411 – Tell it to St. Peter
New Members Episode and a Site Update
410 – The F Word
409 – The First Sparks
408 – Kerosene
407 – Robbing the Hood
406 – King’s Rook Takes Pawn
405 – Hereward the Wake: The Bourne Identity
404 – The Coronation of Queen Matilda
403 – The Siege of Exeter
402 – Fire Sale
401 – Norms and Normans
400 – William: This is Fine
399 – Into the Wild
398 – William: Winning Friends and Influencing People Is For Suckers
397 – William: The Devil Inside
396 – King William I of England
395 – Rearranging the Deck chairs on HMS England
394 – Godwinson’s Revenge
393 – To Kill a Legend
392 – The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors
A Quick Update From Zee
Chapter Nine – The Normans
391 – The Battle of Hastings
390 – Stamford Bridge
389 – The Tyrant and the Muddy Crossing
388 – The Stupid Before The Storm
387 – The Douche is Cast
386 – God’s Messenger
385 – The Audacity of Boats
384 – King Harold Godwinson
383 – The Death of King Edward
2021 Halloween Special
382 – Bros Before Thrones
381 – Weekend at William’s
380 – Everybody Is Killing Everybody Else And Nobody Is Talking About It: Part 3
379 – Everybody Is Killing Everybody Else And Nobody Is Talking About It: Part 2
378 – Everybody is killing everybody else and no one is talking about it
377 – The King of Wales
376 – Lost Years and Lost Lands
375 – Life and Death Politics. But Mostly Death.
374 – Be Careful What You Wish For
373 – The First King
372 – Hostile Takeover
371 – Naked Ambition
370 – Breaking Bread
Bonus Episode from the Archive: The Poet’s Curse
369 – Move or You Will Be Moved: Part 4
368 – Move or You Will Be Moved: Part 3
367 – Move, or You Will Be Moved Part 2
366 – Move, or You Will Be Moved: Part 1
365 – The Red Cliffs of Dover
364 – Reconciliation
363 – Treason!
362 – Meet the Godwins
361 – W A Poet
360 – The Long Game
359 – Play Autocrat Games; Win Autocrat Prizes
The Witch of Fife
358 – King Harthacnut
357 – Walter Map’s Courtly Trifles
356 – Macbeth
355 – Double, Double Toil and Trouble
354 – The West, after Cnut
353 – Mother of the Year
352 – Chaos
351 – Collapse
350 – A Tough Cnut to Crack
349 – AElfgifu’s Tale
348 – Ruling Hard or Hardly Ruling
347 – Aggressive Diplomacy
346 – Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Drakkars
345 – Building Blocks
Bonus Episode: Slavery
344 – Cnut’s Mad Lads
343 – By Thorkell’s Beard
Bonus Episode: Shrove Tuesday
342 – King Cnut of Denmark and England
341 – King Cnut of England
340 – A Bit of a Cnut
339 – Cnut the Conqueror
338 – The Fall of King Edmund Ironsides
337 – The Rise of King Edmund Ironside
336 – The End Is The Beginning Is The End
335 – Acts of Spasmodic Violence
334 – No Cnut November
333 – The Conquest of England
Teig O’Kane and the Corpse
332 – The Jomsvikings
331 – Thoughts and Prayers
330 – The Purge
329 – Forkbeard
328 – The St Brice’s Day Massacre
327 – Sail Away Sail Away Sail Away
326 – The Year 1000
325 – From Bad to Worse
324 – Law and Lawlessness
323 – Brotherhood of the Wolf
PSA: Are We Dead?
322 – We’re Absolutely Forked
321 – Course Corrections
320 – Our Wooden Wall
319 – The Battle of Maldon
318 – Chaos is a Ladder
317 – A Culture of Corruption
316 – The Old Guard
315 – The Cracks in the Foundation
314 – Æthelred: Are You Ready?
313 – How to Make a Martyr
312 – King Edward
311 – Team Edward
310 – Political Theater
309 – Size Doesn’t Matter (until it does)
308 – A Thirst for Reform
307 – Cleaning House
306 – King Eadwig
305 – A Very Special BHP Valentine’s Day Episode
304 – A Kingdom Divided
303 – Eric Bloodaxe
302 – King Eadred
Chapter Eight – Twilight of the Anglo Saxons
301 – Common Folk
300 – Noble Lives
299 – The Shape of Power
The Achavanich Beaker Burial Project: Ancient DNA with Maya Hoole
298 – Uptown Ceorl
297 – The Hundreds and the Wapentakes
The Halloween Special
296 – Darkening Skies
295 – The Return of England
294 – It All Comes Crashing Down
293 – The Beacons are Lit
292 – King in the North
291 – Pandemonium
290 – This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land
289 – Brunanburh
288 – Extracurricular Activities
287 – The Conquest of Scotland
286 – Noble Pursuits
285 – Full Court Press
284 – AEthelstan the Victorious
283 – The Kingdoms of the Foreigners
282 – How To Win Friends and Influence Jorvik
281 – England
280 – King AEthelstan’s Love Life
279 – Dynastic Cults
278 – The Thunderbolt
277 – King AEthelstan: Say Yes to the Dress
276 – The Bastard Rebel King
275 – King Edward the Almost First King of England
274 – The Missing Shire
273 – I Do… Do I?
272 – The End of the Age of AEthelflaed
271 – How to Break a Kingdom in Six Months
270 – War in the Five Boroughs
269 – The Western Front
268 – Viking Invasion
267 – The Southern Expansion
266 – The Rise of AEthelflaed and the Breaking of Northumbria
265 – The Battle of Tettenhall; and Zombies, maybe.
264 – The Lost Rebellion
263 – AEthelflaed and Ingimund
262 – AEthelred and AEthelflaed
261 – The Anglo Saxon Chronicle and the Mercian Register
260 – King Edward’s Forgotten Love Life
259 – The Last Stand of the House of AEthelred
258 – The Rise of King Edward I of Wessex
257 – Political Accommodation Within The Danelaw
256 – Scandinavian Settlement in England
255 – Londonwic to London
254 – Worcester
253 – Anglo Saxon Market Towns in the Viking Age
252 – The Coming of the Anglo-Scandinavians
251 – Chapter Seven: England
250 – The Year 900
249 – Kenneth MacAlpin and the Birth of Scotland
248 – The Death of Alfred the Great
247 – Our Wooden Wall
246 – The Hard Edge of Soft Power
245 – King Alfred: Infrastructure is Sexy
244 – Haesten’s Advance
The Achavanich Beaker Burial Project: The Beaker People with Dr. Alison Sheridan
243 – The Sieges of AEthelred of Mercia
242 – Edward AEtheling at Farnham
The Achavanich Beaker Burial Project: Discovering Ava with Maya Hoole
241 – Haesten
240 – Viking Roadshow: Rollo edition
239 – The Dying Time
238 – A Patchwork of War
237 – Asser
236 – A Return to Scholarship
235 – Alfred’s Educational Reforms
234 – The Sons of Rhodri and AEthelred’s Beautiful Hair
233 – Alfred’s Powerplay and the Restructuring of Wessex
232 – Fifth Century Britain with Dr. Catherine Hills
231 – Anglo Saxon Economics and Money with Professor Rory Naismith
230 – Guthrum Gets a Bath
A Ten Year Old in WWII: A Memorial
229 – The Battle of Edington
228 – Alfred and Odda: The Audacity of Nope
227 – Alfred’s War for the Mind
226 – Alfred and Legitimacy: The First Steps to War
225 – Alfred in Somerset
224 – Chapter Six: Wessex
223 – King Alfred and Chippenham
222 – Viking Kings and The Black Pool
221 – Alfred and Guthrum: The Price of Peace
220 – Alfred and Guthrum: Magic, Madness, Heaven, Sin
219 – The Halloween Special: The Statement of Randolph Carter
218 – The Kingdom of Jorvik
217 – Halfdan’s Ravaging of the North
216 – The Great Heathen Army: Always Be Prepared
215 – King Burgred and the end of the Danish Sausage Fest
214 – National Lampoon’s Viking Vacation
213 – Danegelds, Peace, and Shame
212 – Alfred the Last AEtheling
211 – The Battles of Basing and Meretun
210 – The Battle of Ashdown
209 – The Battle of Reading
208 – The Battle of Englefield
207 – Christianity in Early Danelaw
206 – Did the Great Heathen Army Persecute Christians?
205 – Saint Edmund the Martyr
204 – Snottingham
203 – Jorvik
202 – The Fall of Eoforwic
201 – East Anglia’s Danegeld
200 – The Q&A
199 – AEthelred vs Alfred: One of the Most Exciting Moments in Probate History
198 – The Great Heathen Army Begins
The April Fool’s Episode
197 – The Sons of Ragnar Lodbrok (versus Battle-Cattle)
196 – Vikings and Mercs and Franks. Oh My!
195 – Red Sea Rising
194 – My Big Fat Dark Age Wedding
193 – Alfred the Young Part Two
192 – Alfred the Young
191 – Urban Fervor
190 – House (of Wessex): Everybody Lies
189 – What on earth is an English
188 – Rebellion and Succession in the Kingdom of Wessex
187 – The Queen of Wessex: aka The Worst Midlife Crisis Ever
186 – Wessex: A story of Myth building, Opportunism, and Annexation
185 – Building the House of Wessex
184 – The Chaos of Bad Governance
183 – Ragnar’s Siege of Paris
182 – Ragnar Lodbrok
181 – Vikingrs Gotta Viking
180 – The Cracks in the Shieldwall
Halloween Special: H.P. Lovecraft’s The Music of Erich Zann
179 – The Battle of Carrum
178 – Dereliction of Duty
177 – The Road to 830
176 – The Prophecy of Jeremiah
175 – Chapter Five: A Sea of Blood
174 – CeltCast Part 3
173 – The CeltCast Part 2
172 – CeltCast Part 1
171 – The Welshcast Part Seven
170 – The Welshcast Part Six
169 – The Rise of Wessex
168 – The Fall of Mercia
167 – The Beginning of the End
166 – Wulfred: The Rogue Archbishop
165 – Did Archbishop Wulfred Just Kill a Guy?
164 – Shadow Governments in Britain
163 – The South of Britain Grows Restless
162 – Emperor Coenwulf, Emperor Charlemagne, and The World
Q&A: How to Start a Podcast
161 – King Ceonwulf’s Rise in Power
160 – An Offa Inheritance
159 – An Offa End
158 – Offa With His Head
157 – Lindisfarne
156 – An Offa Marriage
155 – Its Always Sunny in Mercia: The Gang Throws a Party
154 – Having it Offa
153 – An Offa You Can’t Refuse
152 – Limited Time Offa
151 – Offa and Acceptance
150 – King Offa: The Turnover
149 – King Offa Ascends the Throne
148 – The Fall of King AEthelbald
147 – The Twelve Days of Christmas
146 – King AEthelbald: A Whirlpool of Perdition
145 – The Rise of King AEthelbald of Mercia
144 – King Ceolred: A Lunatic Running the Asylum
143 – Man Up: Gender in the Middle Ages
142 – The Failed Dynastic Politics of Mercia and Northumbria
141 – King Aldfrith and St. Wilfrid
140 – Wilfrid: How to Win Friends and Influence People
139 – The Rise of Aldfrith and Caedwalla
138 – Religious Lives in Britain
137 – Preaching in the Dark Ages
136 – The Power of Mercia
135 – A Reshuffling of Power
134 – The Power of Northumbria
133 – Scotcast: Part Ten
132 – Scotcast Part Nine: St. Columba and King Brude
131 – Scotcast Part Eight
130 – Scotcast Part Seven – Who Were The Picts?
Chapter Four: Anglo Saxon Ascendancy
129 – The Life of King Wulfhere
128 – The End of King Oswiu’s Hegemony
127 – The Synod of Whitby
126 – The End of an Era: The Triumph of Christianity in Britain
125 – King Oswiu: A Gathering Storm
124 – Social Mobility: Getting a Raise in Anglo Saxon Kingdoms
123 – Retail Therapy: The Rise of Anglo Saxon Towns
122 – The Concentration of Power and Wealth
121 – King Oswiu: The Aftermath of the Winwaed
120 – Penda and Oswiu: The Winwaed
119 – King Penda: No Posers
118 – Oswiu and Oswine: There’s No Anglo Saxon Word for Take Backsies
117 – Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
116 – Wait, Where Are We? Part two of the history of Britain so far.
115 – Maserfield: Blood Makes The Grass Grow
114 – Oswald and Sigeberht: The Softer Side of Rule
113 – Religious Ambitions: The Rise of Oswald (and Others)
112 – The Battle of Heavenfield
111 – Edwin: What Goes Around Comes Around
110 – Mercia: A New Contender Enters the Ring
109 – Edwin’s Ambitions
108 – The Christmas Special
107 – Edwin’s Conversion
106 – If You Give Edwin an Inch…
105 – Sutton Hoo: Treasures of the Dead
104 – Sutton Hoo: The Finding of Raedwald… and Rabbits
103 – Edwin the Conqueror
102 – Have Exile, Will Travel
101 – I Ran (So Far Away): The Life and Times of Edwin of Deira
100 – There’s a New Barber In Town
99 – False Starts
98 – The Zeal of Augustine
97 – Augustine and Gregory Make a Diocese
96 – The Conversion of King AEthelberht
95 – Two Old Men and a Slave Boy
94 – Dark Age Beliefs
93 – Chapter Three: The Warriors of God
92 – WelshCast Part Five: More People that Gildas Hated
91 – WelshCast Part Four: Three Kings of Wales Who Really Annoyed Gildas
90 – WelshCast Part Three: The Silent Treatment
89 – WelshCast Part Two: All The Comforts of Rome (well… some of them)
88 – WelshCast Part One: From the Stone Ages to the Withdrawal of Rome
87 – Concubinage and Apartheid in Anglo Saxon England
86 – The Fall of Ceawlin… and others
85 – Ceawlin and the Sons of Ida
84 – The Q&A Episode!
83 – Dark Age Warfare Combo Episode
82 – War. What Is It Good For?
81 – In Search of Unity: A Tale of Selective Memory
80 – Bloodletting
79 – Saint Patrick’s Day Special
78 – It’s Only Natural
77 – Cliques: How the In Crowd Created Our Culture
76 – Developing Class
75 – Cerdic and Cynric: A Story of… well… Probably Farmers
74 – When Neighbors Attack: A Story of “Kings”
73 – And This Gives You Power Over Me?
72 – Staffordshire Hoard: Wrapping Up with Kevin Leahy
71 – Staffordshire Hoard: Psychopathic Peacocks with David Symons
70 – Staffordshire Hoard: Interpretation with Cathy Shingler
69 – Staffordshire Hoard: Conservation with Deborah Cane
68 – Staffordshire Hoard: A Bonus Update on the New Find
67 – Staffordshire Hoard: Deb Klemperer on the Dig
66 – Staffordshire Hoard: Receiving the Hoard
65 – Staffordshire Hoard: The Dig
64 – Merry Christmas (plus listener email)
63 – King Arthur Part One
62 – Staffordshire Hoard: Rise Up O Lord
61 – Staffordshire Hoard: Introduction
60 – The Return of the Kings
59 – The Halloween Special
58 – Dark Age Medicine
57 – A Tale of Three Cities (sort of)
56 – Telling the Full Story (a Bonus Episode)
55 – Anglo Saxon Construction
54 – What Not To Wear: In The Dark Ages
53 – Producing the BHP Full Time, a Proposal
52 – DRUIDS! (Bonus Episode)
51 – Dark Ages Feasting
50 – The Denbighshire Hill Forts
49 – Dark Age Economics
48 – Dark Age Diets Combo Episode
47 – Was there an Anglo Saxon Invasion of Britain?
46 – Hengist and Horsa
45 – Britain: The Last Outpost
44 – Sources of Confusion
43 – Le Mort d’Arthur (Bonus Episode)
42 – Wait, Where Are We? A summary of the history of Britain so far.
41 – Chapter Two: The Birth of Britain
40 – Scotcast Part Six
39 – Scotcast Part Five
38 – Scotcast Part Four
37 – Scotcast Part Three
36 – Scotcast Part Two
35 – Scotcast Part One
34 – Cribs: Britannia Edition
33 – Strength and Honor(ius)
32 – Theodosius and Theocracy
31 – Magnus Maximus
30 – What is Best in Life?
29 – An End to Prosperity
28 – Constantine and Britannia Sitting in a Tree
27 – York’s Revenge!
26 – Occupy Britannia!
25 – Listener Questions Special Episode
24 – Another British Empire
23 – We’re In Between Emperors at the Moment
22 – The Dim Ages – Part 2
21 – The Dim Ages – Part 1
20 – Dysfunction and Sibling Rivalry
19 – Britannia’s Emperor
18 – Abandonment and Reoccupation
17 – Advancement and Occupation
16 – Bonus Birthday Episode on the Celts!
15 – Hadrian’s Wall
14 – The Mystery of the Ninth Legion
13 – Agricola
12 – The Road to the North
11 – Boudica’s Rebellion, Part Two
10 – Boudica’s Rebellion, Part One
9 – Suetonius, Part-Time Mountain-Climber and Full-Time Jerk.
8 – Caractacus, the Home-Wrecker
7 – The Claudian Invasion of Britannia
6 – The Heir of Caligula and the Son of Commius
5 – The Island at the Edge of the World – Part 3
4 – The Island at the Edge of the World – Part 2
3 – The Island at the Edge of the World – Part 1
2 – Invasion of Giant Deer, Cannibals, and Celts!